A Ngorongoro Highlands walking safari takes visitors well beyond the crater itself, into the range of extinct and dormant volcanoes that forms the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley above it. Unlike the crater floor, which is explored exclusively by vehicle, the highlands are the one part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where walking is not only permitted but is the primary way of experiencing the landscape, accompanied always by an armed ranger and usually a Maasai guide familiar with the terrain. These routes range from a half day outing that fits around a standard crater itinerary to multi day treks covering more than fifty kilometres, and the right choice depends entirely on how much time a visitor has and how much walking they actually want to do.
The peaks that make up the highlands
The Crater Highlands are a chain of volcanic peaks running along the eastern edge of the conservation area, including Oldeani, Lemagrut, Olmoti, Empakaai, Loolmalasin, and the still active Ol Doinyo Lengai further north. Loolmalasin, at 3,682 metres, is the third highest peak in Tanzania after Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, and its summit offers views across the Serengeti plains to the west and Ol Doinyo Lengai to the north on a clear day. Most walking safaris in the highlands focus on Olmoti and Empakaai, both accessible on shorter routes, while the longer multi day treks link these craters together and continue on towards Lake Natron and the base of Ol Doinyo Lengai.
Half day and single day options
For visitors who want a taste of highland walking without committing extra nights, the most common structure combines a short hike into Olmoti Crater, roughly three kilometres round trip and about ninety minutes including time at the rim, with a longer walk down into Empakaai Crater, a steeper descent of around three hundred metres through montane forest that typically takes two to three hours round trip including time at the crater lake. Both start from or near Nainokanoka village, itself a thirty to forty five minute drive from the main crater rim lodges, and both require an armed ranger, arranged on the day through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. Combining both craters in a single day is achievable for a reasonably fit visitor starting early, though it makes for a long day once driving time to and between the trailheads is added.
Olmoti Crater in more detail
Olmoti, whose name comes from the Maasai word for cooking pot, is a shallow, grass covered caldera rather than a dramatic steep sided crater, and its main draw is the Munge Waterfall, which pours from the crater rim and eventually feeds into Lake Magadi on the Ngorongoro crater floor below. The walk in from the ranger post at Nainokanoka is short, around thirty minutes each way, with a total elevation gain of roughly three hundred metres at an altitude already above 2,700 metres, meaning visitors should expect to feel the thinner air even on this relatively modest walk. Buffalo, waterbuck, eland, and occasionally elephant graze the open crater floor, and the walk works well either as a standalone half day activity or as the first stage of a longer highland trek.
Empakaai Crater in more detail
Empakaai sits around forty kilometres north east of the main Ngorongoro Crater and offers a genuinely different experience: a steep sided, forested caldera enclosing a soda lake that is frequently tinged pink by resident and visiting flamingos. The descent from the rim takes thirty to forty five minutes through dense montane forest, dropping close to three hundred metres to the lakeshore, where buffalo, hyena, bushbuck, and blue monkeys are regularly seen, and where the far side of the crater offers unobstructed views towards the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai on a clear day. The return climb is the harder half of the walk, particularly given the altitude, and a reasonable level of fitness is genuinely required rather than a nominal suggestion. Compared with the main Ngorongoro Crater, which receives a large volume of daily vehicle traffic, Empakaai sees a small fraction of the visitors, and it is common to have the crater floor entirely to oneself.
Multi day highland treks
For visitors with more time, operators including Ahsante Tours, African Scenic Safaris, and Uphill Treks run structured treks of five to eleven days through the highlands, typically starting at Nainokanoka and moving on foot to Bulati village, then to Empakaai, before descending the Rift Valley escarpment towards Lake Natron and, for the most ambitious itineraries, on to an attempt at Ol Doinyo Lengai itself. These treks are supported by donkeys carrying camping equipment and supplies, with camps rather than lodges for accommodation, and days typically covering thirteen to sixteen kilometres over four to five hours of walking. The appeal of these longer routes lies less in any single dramatic viewpoint and more in the cumulative experience of moving through Maasai grazing land on foot, passing bomas and cattle herds, and covering terrain that no vehicle based safari ever reaches.
What makes highland walking different from a typical safari walk
Because the highlands sit within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area rather than a strict national park, Maasai communities continue to graze livestock across much of this terrain, and walking routes frequently pass close to bomas, herders, and grazing cattle rather than moving through unpopulated wilderness. This gives highland walking a genuinely different character from a walking safari inside a park such as the Serengeti, where the emphasis is almost entirely on wildlife tracking. Guides on these routes tend to weave in commentary on Maasai land use, seasonal grazing patterns, and the geology of the volcanic chain itself, alongside wildlife spotting, producing a broader and more varied experience than a pure game walk.
Fitness, altitude, and what to bring
Most of the highland walking takes place at altitudes between 2,600 and over 3,000 metres, and while none of the standard day routes require technical skill, the combination of altitude and the steep, sometimes loose terrain on the descents and ascents into Olmoti and Empakaai means visitors should not treat these as casual strolls. Sturdy, broken in walking shoes or boots are advisable rather than optional, and layered clothing matters more here than almost anywhere else on a Tanzania itinerary, since mornings on the crater rim and in the highlands can be genuinely cold, often close to freezing at altitude, while midday sun at the same elevation is intense. A reasonable level of general fitness, rather than technical trekking experience, is what these routes actually demand.
Booking and permits
All walking in the highlands requires an armed ranger from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority, arranged through a licensed operator rather than independently, along with a separate walking fee in addition to the standard conservation area entry and transit fees. Prices for the ranger and walking permit vary by route and duration, and most visitors find it more straightforward to book a highland walk as part of a broader itinerary through their operator rather than attempting to arrange the logistics independently once already inside the conservation area. Booking in advance also matters for the multi day treks specifically, since these require donkeys, camping crew, and food logistics that need to be organised before arrival rather than improvised on the day.
